Medela Freestyle Flex Review

Are you considering a Medela Freestyle Flex electric breast pump?

Then let us help you decide if it is the best pump for you and your baby with our Medela Freestyle Flex review!

If you’re looking to pump your breastmilk, then you’re going to want to invest in a quality breast pump!

And when it comes to breast pump, one name that pops up again and again is Medela!

Whilst they have a range of manual and electric breast pumps, the Freestyle Flex Breast Pump is designed specifically for moms on the go!

But is it really as good as everyone claims? Will it meet your needs?

Find out in our Medela Freestyle Flex breast pump review as we discuss all it’s features, pros, and cons to see if it really is the best breast pump for you! 

And if you love this Medela Freestyle breast pump review, make sure to check out our guides on Medela Pump In Style vs Spectra S2, Medela vs Spectra S2, and Spectra S1 Vs Medela. Or even our review on Medela Freestyle vs Freestyle Flex.

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03/24/2024 02:03 am GMT

What Is The Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump?

The Medela Freestyle Flex breast pump is one of the best-selling pumps on the market right now. It’s been around since 2000 and has been used by thousands of mothers worldwide.

It is an electric, portable breast pump designed for moms who want to pump at home or on the go. 

It is not known for being one of the most affordable pumps on the market as prices can vary around the $350 mark, but a lot of moms who have tried Medela’s products have spoken about how high they are in quality.

There are also insurance plans on offer if you purchase your Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump through Aeroflow. 

On purchase, you receive everything you need to pump efficiently. In the bundle, you will receive your breast pump and motor unit, tubing, two sets of different sized breast shields to fit comfortably onto your nipples no matter their size, bottles, a cooler and ice pack, and a carry bag. 

That’s a lot of accessories along with your breast pump, which can be super handy for pumping on the go.

However, accessories aren’t everything, so let’s take a closer look at how the Medela Freestyle Flex works and all the benefits it has to offer. 

Medela Freestyle Flex Review

Let’s dive in and take a closer look at the Medela Flex.

Comfort 

The first thing many moms notice when trying out the Medela Freestyle Flex is how comfortable the breast fields are. 

A common problem a lot of mothers face when pumping is that those with larger nipples often struggle to properly fit the shields onto their nipple, resulting in it touching the connector.

This can be a seriously uncomfortable experience and can even affect your milk output, resulting in more time spent pumping and less time caring for yourself and your baby.

To tackle this Medela have included two different sized shields to make pumping way more comfortable. 

Medela also claims that their breast shields remove over 10% more milk per minute compared to other brands.

Performance

How well a pump performs should be one of the key factors you look for in a pump. Afterall, you don’t want to spend hours pumping for next to no milk.

Surprisingly for a portable pump, the Medela Freestyle is quite strong, with maximum vacuum power at 245 mmHg.

But it’s not as powerful as some other brands such as the portable Spectra S9 which has a maximum suction of 300mmHg.

Suction strength can be a bit of a double-edged sword though, as some moms like a gentle suction for a more comfortable experience, while others prefer higher power to extract as much breast milk as possible. 

The good news is that the Flex comes with 9 different vacuum levels so you can easily set the suction to a comfortable level for you.

Portability

Portable pumps are renowned for being less powerful than at home breast pumps, most likely due to how they have to cut down on their size, resulting in less power and thus less efficiency when it comes to milk output. 

The Medela unfortunately falls into this category but if you are looking for a compact, portable breast pump – Medela’s Freestyle Flex is definitely a contender for one of the best. 

It is super lightweight, weighing in at less than a pound, and is so compact that you can easily fit it into your bag or purse to carry it with you anywhere you go.

The unit fits neatly in your hand and so barely noticed its weight when you carried it around – so it’s a huge big thumbs up for us when it comes to portability.

Not only that, but the Medela Freestyle Flex is also designed for complete convenience. It features a rechargeable lithium-ion battery that can be recharged using the USB charging port.

This means that you can connect your Medela Freestyle Flex to a lot of different devices to start charging it up – in the car, on public transport, from your phone, anywhere you can when you need an emergency power up.

This is a huge plus because a struggle a lot of moms face is when their pump runs out of battery and they cannot find an outlet to recharge it.

This can lead to hungry babies and upset moms, but the Medela Freestyle Flex can be recharged from pretty much any power source. 

The battery lasts up to two hours, so that’s plenty of time to fill up a bottle or two while on the go. Just charge it up before you head out, and you will most likely have enough battery 

It also comes with a handy, detachable lanyard to carry it on your wrist.

Cleaning

The Freestyle Flex is a closed system design with overflow protection that is ideal for preventing your breast milk from entering tubing.

This also makes it much easier to clean!

The parts that do come in contact with breastmilk can be washed in the dishwasher for complete sterilization, or you can just wipe them clean or wash by hand.

Bonus Features

Everything seems to have an app these days and the Medela Freestyle Flex is no different. 

Once you have purchased your Medela Freestyle Flex and unboxed it, you can connect it to the Medela Family App on your smartphone. 

At first, you might not really see the point in this – shouldn’t a pump just pump after all? However, the Medela Family App is a great way to keep on track of everything related to your milk and feeding.  

Many moms find the Medela Family App helps them record how much milk they’ve pumped and track how long each pumping session takes, allowing them to plan in the future their pumping routine.

Not only that, but they can record information relating to their baby’s feeding and sleep schedule so they can receive reminders when it’s time to pump or feed. 

Although we doubt that you will need a reminder when feeding time because your baby is sure to remember that for you, a reminder for pumping can be a huge advantage to have. 

So, if you also want a pump that can help you track your efforts and stay on schedule, the Medela Freestyle Flex has that bonus covered. 

03/24/2024 02:03 am GMT

Final Thoughts on Medela Freestyle Breast Pump Review

So – would we recommend the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump?

Yes, but only to mothers who know that they need a portable breast pump that does the job and is super easy to use. 

While the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump has a lot of advantages when it comes to portability, ease of use, comfort and bonus features with the Medela Family App connection, its power is too lacking for us to recommend it to be used as an everyday kind of pump. 

There are other more powerful pumps out there that will cut down your daily pumping session and give you more time to spend caring for yourself and your baby. 

However, for moms who are always on the go or just part time pumpers, we would recommend the Medela Freestyle Flex Breast Pump to you! It will be able to provide you with the comfort and flexibility you desire so it’s definitely worth the try in your case!

And if you’re looking for more great guides, make sure to check out these guides on manual vs electric breast pumphow to warm bottles on the go, and best bottles for breastfed babies. Or even our Medela Freestyle vs Pump In Style review.

medela freestyle flex breast pump review

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